The Portland Trail Blazers are in the market for a new coach!
Will they back up the Brinks truck – as General Manager Joe Cronin suggested new owner Tom Dundon would do for decisions that impact the on-court product – or will Portland pinch their pennies so tightly they get smashed together like pieces of Playdough in the grubby hands of a toddler?
Conor and I talk about that and MUCH more on the latest episode of We Like the Blazers… now recorded IN PERSON with three cameras, two mics, and one Channing
Frye bobblehead!
On Mike Schmitz leaving Portland to become the General Manager of the Dallas Mavericks (time stamped here at 4:36):
Brandon: The Mike Schmitz era in Portland was brief, uh, but glorious… how much credit do you give Mike Schmitz for like any of these calls in the draft?… and then two, what do you think is the best call that Mike Schmitz made during his time in Portland based on expected value and actual value?
Conor: The draft has been kind of a mixed bag, but each pick I understand the reasoning for. Scoot Henderson was seen as a no-brainer, and he’s obviously been a roller coaster. Shaeden Sharpe has panned out pretty well and I understand the upside swing you take with him and why they did it. Donovan Clingan has been a success. And then the best move though I think he has to get credit for is them trading for Deni Avdija…
Brandon [Interjecting]: Toumani Camara…
Both: Ohh! Interesting! Ah!
Brandon: That’s a good point, I actually don’t know why that didn’t even cross my mind.
Conor: Toumani Camara, another diamond the rough, seen as trade filler but actually a very important piece.
Brandon: I am curious how much credit does he get for Toumani Camara, or was that just like, “ahh, you know, throw in another wing” and then a, “ooh, he’s really good, actually!”
On the Blazers’ coaching search and reporting that Tiago Splitter is not a serious candidate for the permanent head coaching job for the Blazers (time stamped here at 11:24):
Brandon: First of all, Conor… 30 candidates… as many candidates as there are NBA teams seems a little excessive. Unless you’re like, hey, can I see the spreadsheet? If it’s like a “binders full of coaches,” [situation], that’s one thing.
Conor: They’re leaving no stone unturned, Brandon!
Brandon: How large are these stones? They like little pebbles?
Conor: Very small stones.
Brandon: If what Joe Cronin said during exit interviews about hey, the reason why we have all these cost savings – which maybe we’ll talk about during the segment on the playoffs – these cost savings are because we’re going to put a better product on the floor. Well, guess what everybody? Your coach is going to be the first test of that, because what you pay your coach absolutely impacts what is on the floor. So, we’ll just see if that happens.
Conor: Joe Cronin said at the exit interviews – because the question got brought up, are you going to pay the right amount with all these reports coming out that they’re going to cheap out – and Joe Cronin said, “If it is a first-time head coach who we don’t have a big market for or a market we’re competing against, it’s one number,” AKA very cheap. “If it’s a big-time head coach, it’ll be a higher number.” Which like, no duh, but are they really going to do that?
Brandon: You know what that argument sounds to me a little bit like, Conor? If it’s a good coach, we’ll pay a lot. If it’s not a good coach, we’ll not pay a lot. It sounds a lot, like, “yeah, man, if I’m going to buy a 2024 Volvo V60 Polestar, I’ll pay plenty. But if I’m going to buy a 1991 Toyota Celica, then I’m not going to pay that much.” And it’s like, Tom Dundon, we know that you want the ‘91 Celica. So don’t even play.
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